President John Dramani Mahama has declared Friday, July 10, and Saturday, July 11, as National General Cleaning Days across the seven regions affected by the devastating June 29 floods, which claimed about 13 lives and destroyed more than 7,000 households, as part of efforts to improve sanitation and reduce the risk of future flooding.

The two-day exercise, organised under the auspices of the Post-Flood Mitigation Committee, will be held under the theme “Our Actions, Our Future: Cleaning Ghana after the floods,” with the initiative intending to mobilise citizens to clean their communities, protect the environment and safeguard lives following the recent disaster.

Announcing the exercise in a statement issued on Monday, July 6, government spokesperson, Felix Kwakye Ofosu described the cleanup as a critical national intervention and urged all Ghanaians to participate actively.

As part of the exercise, President Mahama has directed all government appointees, including Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, Chief Executive Officers of state institutions, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), and heads of public institutions, to leave their offices and personally lead cleanup activities in their respective communities.

The exercise will be carried out in phases to ensure effective coordination. On Friday, personnel from the security services, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), and waste management companies will begin the operation, while members of the public will join the exercise on Saturday.

The cleanup, according to the statement, will focus on desilting choked drains to improve the free flow of water ahead of the rainy season, clearing sand, weeds and debris from roads and highways, and cleaning public places such as markets, lorry parks, recreational parks and communal waste collection points.

“For far too long, indiscriminate littering and plastic pollution have clogged our drainage systems, contributing to devastating, preventable floods that destroy livelihoods and claim precious Ghanaian lives,” the statement added.

To support the operation, all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies have been directed to work with waste management companies to provide logistics, including waste trucks, gloves, shovels and other cleaning tools.

They have also been instructed to ensure the immediate evacuation of all collected refuse and silt to prevent waste from being washed back into drains.

Government called on citizens to demonstrate community spirit by taking part in the exercise, stressing that a cleaner environment remains essential to protecting lives and preventing future flood disasters.